Direwolf's Desire (Ice Age Alphas Book 3)

by Lily Thomas

  The Neanderthal in front of her removed the throwing weapon that was wrapped around her legs. It was made of rawhide strips with decently sized rocks wrapped around the ends.

  A lot of modern people thought Neanderthals were simplistic and stupid, but they would be dead wrong. Archeologists had proven that they were intelligent over and over again. There were several caves discovered in the European region where there were Neanderthal cave drawings and sophisticated weapons.

  When the Neanderthal in front of her was done freeing her ankles, she was tempted to bolt to her feet, but she dashed the idea. Assuming she did get away from them, her hands would still be tied behind her back, which would only result in her being defenseless until she could figure out how to shed the ties.

  The Neanderthal growled something at her, and his putrid breath washed over her nose. It crinkled her nose in disgust as she pulled back slightly.

  When he stared at her expectantly, she shook her head, her loose hair waving over her shoulders.

  He huffed with obvious irritation but decided there was nothing he could do about their lack of communication. He stood up. Then he motioned for the Neanderthal behind her to hoist her up onto her feet.

  Hands dipped under her armpits, and the Neanderthal behind her lifted her, and the tips of his fingers brushed over the sides of her breasts. She barely suppressed a growl of outrage. Now wasn’t the time to lash out for a brush that might have been an accident. She needed to bide her time.

  Once Andrea was on her feet, she skittered away from the Neanderthal’s touch because she was pretty sure he had skimmed her breasts on purpose. Not that she could read his mind, but when she whirled and faced him, he stared openly at her exposed nudity. Her eyes narrowed.

  Andrea glared at all the men who surrounded her. “Since we can’t communicate, I’m going to name each of you.”

  The Neanderthals around her shrugged as they growled words at each other and watched her.

  She was going to name the head Neanderthal Nick. The one with a scarred face, like he’d been mauled by a cave bear, she was going to name Allen. The next one would be named Bob because he kind of looked like a guy who would be named Bob. Robert was the one with his hair braided into one large braid that ran down his back. And the last one would be named Mike, because of his bushy beard, which rivaled the other mens’.

  Nick grabbed a hold of her arm in a rough grip and yanked her towards him. He growled something at her, and Andrea didn’t need a translator for this one… she was his. There was a gleam of excitement shining bright in his brown eyes as he scanned her face.

  Andrea scrunched her face up and tried to yank back out of his grasp, but it was like trying to rip her arm free of a band of steel. These Neanderthals were made of pure muscles.

  Suddenly, he spun her around, and she felt him doing something with her bindings. Was he letting her go?! Excitement built in her as her heart thundered and adrenaline pumped through her system, readying itself for a fight or flight situation.

  When he spun Andrea back around, she glanced down at his hand, and her heart dropped. He was holding a rope made of tanned animal skin. He wasn’t letting her go. He’d been putting a leash on her already tied hands.

  Chapter 3

  This whole situation would be so much better if she were dressed. Even a bra and underwear would be nice. Andrea hunched over herself as she walked after Nick, who still held her leash in his hand, trying to hide her nudity.

  The rest of the Neanderthals walked around her. Every once in a while, she could feel their heated gazes drift over her. She would have sworn there must have been scorch marks all over her skin by now with all those heated gazes glancing over her exposed body. Nick may have claimed her as his, but clearly the others were wishing for their own opportunity with her.

  Andrea wasn’t sure where they were headed, but the men seemed to know where they wanted to go. They walked through the forest for the better part of the day before Nick, the lead Neanderthal, stopped in a small meadow. The sun was beginning to set, and brilliant reds, oranges, and pinks flew across the sky, mixing in with the blackening starry sky.

  The rest of the men spread out a bit, and she noticed them gathering wood. This appeared to be the place where they would make camp for the night. Nerves and the cold had her shaking a bit. As night settled on them, she had no doubt the massive predators of the ice age would come out to hunt.

  Nick yanked her towards him with the animal skin leash. The jerking movement had her plowing into his barrel chest, but he barely seemed to register her weight. A smile spread across his lips as he raised a hand to play with her loose auburn curls.

  He growled something guttural at her, and she prayed to whatever gods they had back then that he wasn’t going to try and use her tonight.

  This nightmare was getting worse with every minute that passed.

  Where was a sabertooth when someone needed it?

  Another of the Neanderthals called out to Nick, and he used his hands on her shoulders to press her down until her bottom was firmly planted on the ground.

  He told her something while giving her a stern look.

  Andrea shrugged her shoulders to let Nick know she had no idea what he was saying, but at least he was trying to communicate with her. It gave her hope for the upcoming night.

  Nick held out a hand and pushed it to the ground.

  “Stay seated?”

  He did the movement again before deciding that was enough and left her side to join Bob. The both of them walked into the forest and disappeared from sight.

  Peering around herself, Andrea found the other three Neanderthals still around her. She could get up to her feet, even with her hands tied behind her back, but with three Neanderthals within sight, it wasn’t like she would get anywhere before they caught her.

  Rolling her shoulders, she tried in vain to get them into another position, because her muscles in her back were beginning to cramp and cause her some discomfort.

  Allen, with the scarred face, walked up to her, a bunch of wood in his arms. Then he dropped the wood, before kneeling before the sticks and logs. She watched as he rearranged the kindling and wood. Then he pulled a pack from off his waist, opened it, pulled out some animal skin, and then pulled back the folds until he exposed a red-hot coal. Allen placed the coal among the logs and blew until it lit the kindling. The flames licked hungrily at the logs, putting off a lot of heat as the sun disappeared under the horizon, allowing the cold to creep up and prickle her skin.

  When Allen leaned back and focused his brown eyed gaze on her, Andrea shifted uncomfortably and dropped her gaze. She hoped taking a demure demeanor would help her with fending off these primitive men.

  A scooting noise reached her ears, and when she glanced back up, she found the spot on the other side of the fire empty. A growl in her ear, had Andrea’s head zipping around to see Allen right next to her. He was invading her personal space.

  Trying to scoot away, she paled when his hand flew through the air and grabbed her upper arm.

  “Leave me alone!” Andrea barked. Screw being demure. That clearly hadn’t worked, and it was hard for her to suppress her inner fighter.

  Allen growled something at her as he threw her back against the ground and attempted to climb up on her.

  “Hell no!” Andrea rolled out from under him, and when his head turned to face her, she kicked out a foot and nailed him in the chin with her heel.

  The clink of his teeth reached her ears, right before a roar of raw anger pierced the air.

  Flipping around, she glanced at the other two men who were simply staring at her and Allen, but neither of them seemed interested in helping her. They must be the two at the bottom of the totem pole then, and she was dealing with a guy who held some rank in the group.

  She was doomed.

  Leaping to her feet, in an athletic grace she didn’t know she had within her plumper body, Andrea ran. Who needed the use of their hands when adrenaline pumped thro
ugh them? Not her.

  Sadly, Andrea didn’t get far, before Allen had her pushed up against a tree trunk, still in view of their camp, still with the other two just watching with blank stares. The rough bark prodded at the soft skin of her back and butt cheeks as he pressed into her.

  Allen leaned his face close to hers as he growled. His bulbous nose nearly brushed hers as his foul breath washed over her, nearly choking her with the repulsive odor. Despite the dark around them, she could clearly make out the hundreds of scars that coated the tanned skin of his face.

  When his hands began exploring her curves, Andrea tried to side step away from him, but he had her pressed tightly between his body and the tree. Unless she wanted to lose some skin, she wasn’t going anywhere.

  So… she chose her last defense.

  Andrea sucked in a gulp of air and then let out the highest pitch screech a human throat could make.

  He grimaced, but there was a determined glint in those brown eyes as his hands continued exploring.

  Andrea continued screaming. She would have tried to knee him in the balls, but the length of his body pressed her up into the tree, leaving her lungs as her only weapon since her hands were still tightly tied behind her back.

  Then a roar of fury from behind them had them both freezing, and Andrea’s screaming caught in her throat. Someone was coming to her rescue.

  Peering over Allen’s shoulder, she found Nick and Bob striding back into camp, and Nick didn’t look too happy if his drawn brows and puffed up chest meant anything. It wasn’t like she wanted to sleep with any of them, but right now, she was hoping Nick, the nicest Neanderthal of the group, would come to her rescue.

  Allen turned, but he kept a firm grip on her arm as he brought her into his side. He growled something at Nick that didn’t sound very nice to her. Clearly, Allen thought Nick should at least share if not give Andrea over to him completely.

  Nick’s eyes flickered back and forth between them. He was searching… seeing if she wanted Allen?

  Andrea shook her head swiftly. She didn’t want anything to do with Allen.

  Allen crushed her to him when he caught her silently communicating with Nick. Nick let out a growl as he marched towards Allen.

  Deciding it was time for a fight, Allen thrust her away. If she had use of her arms, she could have righted herself, but with her hands tied behind her back she ended up landing on the ground like a sack of potatoes.

  The men collided in the next second.

  Andrea’s jaw dropped. Men fighting over a woman was a fantasy most women dreamed of, but it was a fantasy, meaning they didn’t really want it in real life. If they had been two attractive men fighting over her, she might have been rejoicing a bit more, but she had two Neanderthal men fighting over her. Not really her fantasy.

  Their stocky bodies were thicker than a human, and she had to wonder if they might have a little more muscle than the average human as well. The two men pummeled each other with their fists. Nick landed a blow that had Allen’s head snapping back with a pained grunt, but when he recovered, he came back at Nick.

  Andrea wasn’t sure who she wanted to win this fight because she was fairly certain the winner would think her theirs. And she didn’t want to be anyones.

  Ripping her eyes off the fighting men, she saw the other three Neanderthals just standing around.

  “Aren’t you guys going to stop them?” She gaped at the other men from where she laid on her side like a fish on land.

  One of them, Mike, turned his head towards her, but deciding she was less interesting than the fight, he turned his attention back towards the fight.

  When Andrea looked back at Allen and Nick, she found them tumbling around on the ground. Nick held Allen down, pressing a hand to the man’s neck until Allen grumped something at him. Pulling back, Nick stood and offered the man on the ground a hand. Allen looked as though he would reject the hand, but then he slapped his into Nick’s, and Nick hauled him up to his feet.

  It seemed they had come to a decision.

  Nick left his clan mate and strode over to her. He reached down, grabbed her upper arms, and yanked her up to her feet. Then he guided her over to the fire, which was still gleefully burning in the middle of their camp.

  “Thanks.” She whispered under her breath, and Nick spared her a quick glance and an utterance of his own. They didn’t need to understand each other’s words to know she was thanking him, and he was saying, you’re welcome.

  Bob pulled a couple of dead rabbits off his belt as he knelt by the camp fire.

  “Dinner?” She turned to Nick as she let him help her down.

  He shook his head at her.

  “I’m just going to assume yes. I’ve never eaten rabbit before.” Andrea shifted her attention back to Bob as he began to skin and gut the rabbit. She blanched and looked away. Yeah, no. She was a fan of buying her food in a grocery store. It didn’t have eyes, usually, and it never looked cute and fuzzy.

  If she forgot she was surrounded by several scary Neanderthals, she might have enjoyed the camping feel of this moment. The fire light lit up the immediate area, while the rest of the land was covered in dark.

  Tilting her head back, Andrea gazed up at the stars above her in wonderment. It was like a giant had blown a handful of sugar into the sky.

  Within minutes, Bob had those rabbits skinned and roasting over the fire on a spit, which he turned every once in a while. As the smell of cooking meat drifted over to her, she couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled from her stomach.

  All the men turned to stare at her, and she cast them a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Been a while since I last ate.”

  Of course, they didn’t understand her, and their attention quickly returned to the fire, the rabbits, and whatever they were discussing in their primitive language.

  Now that things were moving at a slower pace, Andrea was able to take in their tanned animal skin clothing. She wasn’t entirely sure what animal they had used, but with the light brown fur tufts that they’d left on the tanned skins, she was going to guess deer. The clothing was simple, in that, they hadn’t appeared to decorate it with any beads.

  Nick leaned over to her and presented a fur in his outstretched hands.

  “For me?”

  He unfurled the fur and swung it up and over her shoulders.

  “Thanks.”

  It wasn’t a lot, but it was already warming her back up. As was the fire. The heat from the flames warmed her legs and her front half. She wished she could hold her hands out to the fire, but Nick was never going to untie her.

  As her eyes drifted from the camp fire and over her companions, she noticed the Neanderthals around her wore necklaces with teeth strung on them. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at a few around Allen’s neck… some of those appeared to be human teeth. It was from a slight distance, or the firelight playing tricks on her mind, but those definitely looked like human teeth.

  Bob pulled the crispy rabbits off the firepit, immediately grabbing her attention. He pulled out a stone knife and cut the meat up into rough pieces. Trickles of heat could be seen drifting off the slices, and her stomach let out another growl.

  “Yum.” Nick’s brown eyes glanced over at her, and she pointed to the meat with her nose that was now being passed out. “I’d love some.”

  Nick reached out a hand and took some of the roasted rabbit meat. Then he shifted on his bottom until he faced her. He held up some meat, and she nodded her head eagerly as she twisted her tied hands to the side of her body and wiggled her fingers for the morsel.

  But Nick just shook his head at her.

  “What?” Andrea felt some disappointment soar into her chest as she thought that he meant to only tease her and not feed her.

  Then Nick held the meat in the air with a couple of his fingers, and realization dawned. He wanted to hand feed her. Ugh. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to do that. Then her stomach let out a horrendous growl.

  Nick brought the meat to his mouth an
d ate it. Then he quickly grabbed another and offered it to her.

  “Fine.” Andrea gave up, leaned in, and right as she was about to snag the meat with her teeth, a howl echoed through the trees. Nick pulled his hand back, and her teeth clinked together on thin air.

  “What the hell?” Andrea couldn’t contain her anger. He’d just teased her! “I gave in. What more do you want from me?” She steamed.

  Nick quieted her with a few waves of his hand.

  Then another howl echoed through the forest, and then another from a different direction sounded.

  “So, there are wolves in the forest.” Andrea shrugged unconcernedly. With their brightly burning fire and how many of them there were, she wasn’t too afraid of an attack. Wolves tended to stay away from humans, and she thought it’d be the same back in the ice age. No animal liked fire. It was instinct.

  Andrea’s heart leaped into her throat as she gazed around at the Neanderthals around her. Their eyes had gone wide, and their sudden fear had her worrying. Maybe she was wrong with her assumption that predators didn’t like fire. Maybe predators didn’t fear humans and Neanderthals in the ice age.

  Suddenly, all of the Neanderthals leaped to their feet. Nick rushed to pull her onto her feet. The moment she was up, he spun her around, ripped off the fur, and cut the bindings on her wrists with a stone knife.

  “Ummm, thanks?” Andrea wasn’t so sure her hands getting untied was a good thing. It meant Nick thought she might need to use them.

  Howls began to fill the night air, and it sounded like they were getting closer. Much closer. And the howls sounded like a pack that was communicating during a hunt, but a hunt of what?

  Nick ushered her away. He waved his hands at her, and when she took some cautious steps away from him, he nodded at her.

  Turning, she bolted.

  When Andrea reached the edge of the forest, she glanced back at the group of Neanderthals, who were now armed and slightly crouched as they waited by the camp fire. Were wolves in this time really that much more daring?

  Then the wolves broke into the small meadow, and a shiver raced up and down her spine. Those weren’t just wolves. Those were dire wolves. A top ice age predator. She’d worked several digs where dire wolf skeletons had been uncovered. They were beefier wolves and slightly bigger than your normal wolf, and there were several of them bearing down on the Neanderthals right now.